Tag Archives: cookbooks

So my first experiment with my new Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook was quite the success. The only item I couldn’t buy at TJ’s was the Daiya cheese that was needed to veganize the dish but all the others were in their aisles.

Behold the very easy to make and quite delish Tamale Bake!

Soooo good. Seriously.

Tamale Bake

Ingredients (the Vegan Meow Mix version)

2 18 oz. tubes pre-cooked polenta, each tube sliced into 9 rounds

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 zucchini squash, sliced

1 (12 oz.) package Soy Chorizo

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained

1/2 TJ’s Enchilada Sauce

1 cup Daiya Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat and oil skillet. Saute zucchini until soft (about 5 minutes). Add chorizo, stir, and remove from heat. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch baking pan (or use an 8 x 8 if making a half batch). Place the polenta on the bottom, overlapping as necessary. Sprinkle half each of the chorizo mixture, beans, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Repeat with the second layer. Cover and bake for 45 minutes until the cheese is melted and casserole is piping hot. Sprinkle cilantro evenly on top.

With as much as I talk/blog about how much I love Trader Joe’s you would think I’m getting paid. I should really work on making that happen. 😉 Until then, I’ll just be content with sharing the products I love from our local TJ’s.

One of the best things about Trader Joe’s products is that so many of them are cruelty free and happily display the bunny that let’s us know. We’ve been using the Oatmeal Exfoliant for months. HUGE bar of soap that smell GREAT and costs about half of what those fancy schmancy soaps cost.

Smell good goodies!

The other three are new items that we picked up just last week. Again, all cruelty free and saving us some $$. The Trader Joe’s Spa facial cleanser is awesome. It smells good and gets all nice and soapy-foamy with just a dab. I love bubbles tickling my face. 😀 Next is the Moisturizing Shaving Foam. Kit Kat has been on the look out for one like this for months. Another smells great product that is gentle on the skin and doesn’t leave him rubbing ice all over his neck due to razor burn. Hooray for keeping the ice in the freezer! Lastly, is the Air Therapy room spray. So this isn’t actually a TJ’s brand product but they sell it and we love it. One sprays fills a room and lasts forever. GREAT stuff!

On the food end of Trader Joe’s, I picked this cook book up last night:

Yes! Dinner's Done!

I’m most excited that all the ingredients in the recipes can be found at TJ’s. No making a separate stops to get all the items needed for one dish. Not all the recipes in the book are veggie, but most of the recipes give great suggestions on how to easily make them that way in a snap. Again, hooray! I’m sure to be trying LOTS of these recipes soon. Stay tuned.